Rizal Park hosts opening of National Arts Month

Halili-Cruz Ballet Company will join the national arts Month opening today

THE National Commission for Culture and the Arts, with Chairman Felipe M. de Leon and OIC executive director Adelina M. Suemith, will lead the launch of 2016 National Arts Month with the theme “Public Art, Art For All.” The kick-off celebration happens today at the Open Air Auditorium of Rizal Park.

The pre-program activities will start with Chalk and 3D art demonstrations to be facilitated by Guhit Visual Arts Group. A leaf-harp workshop by Joey Ayala and Bohol-based artist Rodolfo Mercado will ensue at the park’s Chess Area. Alongside the workshop will be the screening of short films from Cinemarehiyon, NCCA’s flagship project for cinema, at the Open Air Auditorium. For the main event, Ayala, Mercado, the Halili-Cruz Ballet Company, Ony Carcamo and the Sinukwan Kapampangan dance troupe will grace the stage with thier perfomances.

After the kick-off, there will be performances every Sunday at the Rizal Park for the whole month of February in partnership with the National Parks Development Committee (NPDC). There will also be performances and activities at different SM malls every Friday of the month. Moreover, Metro Manila schools and universities will be mounting performances and other activities in public areas and campuses, spread throughout the month.

Other events to look forward to this National Arts Month include the Singkuwento International Film Festival Manila Philippines (SIFFMP), which will be held from February 19 to 27, 2016, at the Leandro Locsin Auditorium of the NCCA in Intramuros, Manila; and on March 2, 3, 4, 7 and 8, 2016, at the UPFI UP Film Center at University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City. About 65 Filipino filmmakers and more than 60 Filipino films will be shown including Adolf Alix Jr.’s short film “Kinabukasan” starring Nora Aunor and Alden Richards.

Outside Metro Manila, local government units and arts organizations join in the celebration with a range of events and activities including a kurambos at the Bohol Cultural Center on February 2; Pasundayag Kabanhawan in Capiz on February 5 (Pontevedra), 12 (Panitan), 19 (Dumarao) and 28 (Roxas City); a concert in Buenavista, Southern Leyte, on February 18; “Singing at Pag-ibig” in Los Banos, Laguna, from February 22 to 24; Daggit: An Arts and Culture Fair in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, from February 25 to 27.

The NCCA’s NAM celebration will close with Ani ng Dangal awarding ceremonies on February 29. The Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honors) Awards recognizes artists who have earned international awards and accolades during the past year.

The annual celebration of National Arts Month started with the signing of Presidential Proclamation 683, in 1991, declaring February as National Arts Month. Over the years, NCCA, as well as private and government agencies, has been organizing events and activities to highlight the artistic brilliance of the Filipinos.